WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight after a meeting in the Majority Leader’s Office with the General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence:

“I am pleased that House and Senate Members from both sides of the aisle had the opportunity to sit down today with Benjamin Powell, general counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to discuss the important legal issues involved in Congress’s effort to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Our meeting was productive, and a step forward in Congress’s effort to craft legislation that both protects our nation and our citizens’ civil liberties.

“The Administration has demanded that Congress immunize major telecommunications companies from legal liability for their participation in a government surveillance program about which many questions have been raised. On an issue of this magnitude, it is imperative that our deliberations be thoughtful and thorough. Anything less would be an abdication of our responsibility.”